This recipe is another one of my experiments with Lil Buff Protein Cake Mix – other than being a little difficult to remove from the pan after baking I have really enjoyed baking with this cake mix so far. I was really happy with how this cake turned out, it really is like a Boston Cream donut made into a healthy cake.
Again this recipe is not dairy free, due to the cake mix and the yogurt I used for the filling/frosting. However, it is gluten free, high in protein and extremely filling! I cut this cake into quarters to make 4 servings of 140 calories each(with 9.2g of protein)
You could experiment with making this cake with other flavors of Yoplait Light yogurt, there are lots of dessert flavors that I think would work well!
This recipe is a great way to use up an over-ripe banana and get some protein in. This banana bread is easy to make and is also gluten free and macro friendly since it is low calorie.
This recipe is not dairy free due to the Lil Buff Cake Mix, but once their vegan cake mixes are available I bet it will work to substitute the vegan mix for the FitFetti mix.
I used my Wilton mini loaf pan but you could also use a cupcake pan, small ramekins or loaf pan – just watch the cooking time to make sure you don’t over or under-cook it.
These reheat very well, I recommend reheating them in an air fryer if you have one, just make sure you put them on a piece of foil so they don’t stick.
Ingredients:(makes 6 mini loaves)
Lil Buff Fitfetti Cake Mix (57g, one single serve bag)
Unsweetened almond milk(1/4 cup)
133g banana
1 whole egg (50g)
Butter extract, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon and Salt
Coconut oil spray or other non-stick spray
Nutritional Information(for 1 cake, recipe makes 6):
This peach cobbler only uses 4 ingredients and is super quick to throw together for a weeknight treat. It is also gluten free!
I got the idea for this recipe from the “diet soda hack” cobblers I have seen on Pinterest. I bought a few of the Lil Buff Protein mixes and have been experimenting with using them in different desserts. These mixes do contain whey protein but Lil Buff is coming out with a vegan version soon that I am excited to try! When I am able to get some of the new vegan mixes I will try this recipe again 🙂
Peach Cobbler before adding the diet soda and cinnamon
All you need are peaches(fresh or canned will work), diet soda(I used Zevia Cream soda), Lil Buff Protein Cake Mix(I used Fit-Fetti), and cinnamon. I think this would also be good with the gingerbread cake mix flavor but I haven’t tried it yet.
I topped my cobbler with a scoop of Vanilla Maple Dairy Free Halo Top which added 95 calories, but the total calories were still under 250 which I think is really good for a dessert! It also had a total of almost 15g of protein.
Protein Peach Cobbler with DF Halo Top
Ingredients:
145 grams peaches
23 grams Lil Buff Protein Cake mix(half of a single serve bag)
1/2 cup Diet Soda
Cinnamon, to taste
optional: Halo Top or other ice cream or whipped topping
I love Key Lime Pie in the summer – so I came up with this gluten free, dairy free, macro friendly version.
You can substitute whatever yogurt you like but I used the Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Greek Yogurt – I love this one because it’s really thick and has a good amount of protein even though it is dairy free.
For the crust I used KIND Oats and Honey granola but you could also use crushed nuts or graham crackers if you prefer. You will also need Sugar Free Lime Jell-O powder – you can substitute this for the regular(not Sugar Free) lime Jell-O or use a lime extract/flavoring or lime juice.
Ingredients: (makes one serving)
1 container Kite Hill unsweetened greek yogurt
14 grams of granola
5 grams Sugar Free Lime Jell-O powder
Optional: whipped topping of choice
Nutrition(not including optional topping):
236 calories – 14g Protein / 18g Carbs / 12g Fat
Instructions:
Stir your greek yogurt until it is smooth and all liquid is incorporated
Add Jell-o powder to greek yogurt(in the container) and stir until completely dissolved/combined
In a small ramekin spread the granola in an even layer
Spread yogurt mix over granola in ramekin
Set in the freezer until it has reached your desired hardness – I left it overnight and then let it thaw a bit before I ate it
You only need 3 ingredients and a blender to make this pineapple-loaded treat, it’s perfect for summer! My Dole Whip recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and macro friendly. This is a great recipe to whip up quickly as a single serve dessert to cool off and satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you are allergic to almonds you can sub out the almond milk for any other type of milk that works for you.
Ingredients: (makes 1 serving)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
frozen pineapple chunks, 160 grams
pineapple fruit cup(with the juice)
optional: CocoWhip or Redi Whip
Nutrition(without optional topping):
169 calories, 1.4g Protein / 37g Carbs / 1.7g Fat
Instructions:
Cut your pineapple into chunks and freeze(if you are using fresh pineapple, if you’re using frozen pineapple you won’t need to do this)
In your blender add 1/2 cup almond milk, the frozen pineapple and pineapple fruit cup with the juice
Blend – check every 30 seconds to see if any pineapple chunks are stuck.
Keep blending until the consistency is smooth
Serve in a glass on it’s own or top with whipped topping
This blueberry crisp is an easy and delicious recipe – whether you’re counting macros or just want a sweet dessert it doesn’t get any easier than this! This dessert is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and easy to make as a single serving or for a crowd.
You only need 2 ingredients to make my blueberry crisp – blueberries and granola – but if you want to get creative you can add coconut oil or other fruits. I have made this with pears, apples, blueberries and cinnamon depending on what I have on hand. This is a great way to use up fruit that is on the verge of getting too ripe. If you use fruits other than blueberries just be sure to dice them up small enough so they will cook through.
You can use whatever granola you have on hand, I like the Nature’s Path Vanilla Pumpkin Seed Granola personally.
Ingredients: (for one serving)
blueberries, 180 grams
granola, 30 grams
optional: other fruits, cinnamon, coconut oil, toppings like chocolate chips, Halo Top or whipped cream
Nutritional Info(does not include optional toppings):
235 calories – 4.3g Protein / 33 Carbs / 4.5 Fat
Instructions:
Wash fruit and spread in an even layer in baking dish or ramekin(if you are adding coconut oil melt the oil and mix into the fruit now)
Sprinkle granola on top of the fruit
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the granola is browned
Serve warm by itself or top with Halo Top or Whipped Cream.
Enjoy!
Blueberry Crisp with Dairy Free Birthday Cake Halo Top
When I started eating gluten free and dairy free one of the things I missed most was Grilled Cheese. It took me a while to figure out how to replicate a grilled cheese sandwich without gluten or dairy but I finally found a method that worked for me! The main hurdle was finding vegan cheese that tasted good and melted properly so I’ve used a combination of cheeses and melting methods here to get my grilled cheese sandwich to turn out perfectly. I’m sharing my secret for the perfect gluten free and vegan grilled cheese – test it out and let me know what you think!
gluten free and vegan grilled cheese
You will need:
Vegan buttery spread of choice – I use Melt or Earth Balance
2 slices GF Bread of choice – I used Little Northern Bakehouse Seeds & Grains bread
2 slices Follow Your Heart American Style Slices
1/4 cup Miyoko’s Vegan Mozz (optional)
Line a cookie sheet or other small metal pan with foil
Spread buttery spread on one side of each piece of bread
Place bread on foil lined tray with buttered side down
Put 1 American Style slice on each piece of bread
Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until cheese begins to melt
Add crumbled Miyoko’s mozzarella if desired and broil another 1-2 minutes
Remove from oven, press 2 halves together to form sandwich
Place in pan on stovetop over medium heat
Cook for 2-3 minutes each side until desired level of browning is reached
If your bread is frozen let it thaw or toast it for a minute to bring it to room temperature.
The Miyoko’s mozzarella is not necessary(I usually just use the American slices) but if you want an extra cheesy grilled cheese it’s awesome to add. Other things you can add are salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.
This is great on its own or served with a bowl of tomato soup 🙂
Thanksgiving sides can be filled with hidden gluten – including things that might seem safe like Green Bean Casserole. But with a few substitutions you can make this Thanksgiving favorite gluten free and dairy free! Depending on your choice of mushroom soup this can also be much lower in calories than the original.
GF DF Green Bean Casserole Recipe:
1 can green beans (large)
Aldi’s LiveGFree French Fried Onions(for topping)
1.5-2 cups mushroom soup – I used the Mushroom and Steel Cut Oats soup from Splendid Spoon but you could also use Imagine brand Portobello Mushroom soup(both are vegan) or if you’re fine with dairy you can use the Pacific brand Cream of Mushroom Soup
Aldi LiveGFree French Fried Onions
Skinnee B’s GF DF Green Bean Casserole
First heat up the soup in a saucepan over low heat.
Drain can of green beans and add to soup
Cook her low heat 5-10 minutes, stirring
Transfer to casserole dish and top with french fried onions
Bake 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until onions are browned
The Mushroom and Steel Cut Oats soup only has 97 calories per serving (about half the calories of regular Cream of Mushroom soup once you add in the milk) which means you can be extra generous with the French Fried Onions 🙂
(The Aldi’s French Fried Onions are a seasonal item so stock up to use them in salads, meatloaf, casseroles and more!)
Check out my post on GF Thanksgiving Stuffing here
It’s just about time for Thanksgiving dinner preparations and I know this can be a challenging time of year for those on a gluten free diet. Thankfully there are tons of gluten free options you can substitute for your old gluten-filled holiday favorites. Thanksgiving dinner, in my opinion, requires stuffing so I tested out a few different gluten free stuffing mixes to find the best one.
This stuffing is my favorite so far. I used the chicken flavor but Aldi also sells a turkey flavor. All you need to add is butter and water – I used Earth Balance instead of butter. This mix was not dairy free but milk is just listed as an ingredient in the bread so if you can tolerate a small amount of dairy you should be ok. I am pretty sensitive to dairy and I was fine eating a large portion of this stuffing. You could add other things like celery and onion if you prefer, but I think this stuffing tastes fine on its own. I did add a little celery salt, salt, and pepper.
I followed the directions for this stuffing and didn’t add anything except the broth(I used Pacific Bone Broth) and Earth Balance “butter”. This was very quick to make but I think it would have been better with some celery and I ended up adding celery salt, salt and pepper. This was also dairy free and soy free which is a bonus. I didn’t like it as much as the Aldi’s stuffing but if you can’t have dairy this is a good option, I would suggest adding some veggies, seasoning, and possibly baking in a casserole dish after making it on the stovetop.
Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Stuffing –Â I found this stuffing mix at Trader Joe’s, but it does contain dairy in the mix itself. I haven’t tried it yet but I will update this post once I do.
If you can’t find a gluten free stuffing mix in stores near you it’s also pretty easy to make your own – I recommend using Udi’s gluten free bread as it works well for soaking up the broth and spices.
Check out my recipe for GF DF Green Bean Casserole here
(Scroll down for links to Part 1: Sakara, Part 2: Freshly, and Part 3: Veestro)
*I was not compensated for these reviews, all opinions expressed are my own*
Splendid Spoon
splendidspoon.com (Disclaimer: If you order through this link you will get $25 off and so will I)
Splendid Spoon offers 5 day per week breakfast and lunch programs as well as a special soup cleanse. The breakfast options are all smoothies and the lunch options are almost all soups with the occasional quinoa bowl. The weekly delivery arrives frozen and can be stored in the refrigerator for the week or frozen.
I started out with the 4 week breakfast and lunch(5 days per week) plan – this cost $9 per meal including shipping. You have the option to log on and select your soups, otherwise they select soups for you. I really liked the soups; they had a nice variety and in the fall/winter it’s nice to have a warm lunch that’s easy to prepare. I also appreciated that all of the soups are GF and vegan as that can be hard to find, and they are freshly prepared rather than canned. I find soups to be something where if you make it from scratch you have to make a lot of it, so I appreciate being able to get a single portion of many different homemade soups. The soups can be microwaved or you can heat them up on the stove(this is much better IMO). I also liked that they list the full nutritional information on each item. Because I purchased a 4 week package I was able to schedule my delivery weeks in advance rather than having to log in and “opt out” of the weeks that I knew I didn’t want a delivery – I liked this much better than other systems because I didn’t have to worry about remembering to log on to skip a week.
To be honest I thought the breakfast smoothies were terrible, and when I logged on to my account to see if I could select some different things for the following week I saw that there were only 6 options(5 of which I had already tried and could barely choke down). However the company was accommodating when I reached out to them and they refunded me so that I could just do the soup lunch option instead of breakfast. Soups travel well and are easy to reheat while smoothies are another story entirely due to separation, getting it to the right temperature etc. – so I must say I don’t have much hope for their smoothies improving in the future.
Pros: all GF and vegan, choose your own meals, variety of good soups, calorie info listed, lots of options(24 soups), option to avoid other ingredients(spicy, beets, mushrooms, soy, tree nuts, coconut, peanuts)
Cons: Breakfast options are limited and gross, limited options outside of soup,
Tips:
If you decide to get the breakfast smoothies do not let them thaw completely
Check out the Splendid Spoon Facebook group for ideas of what to add/how to prepare meals differently
Heat the thicker soups(Congee, mushroom with oats) on the stove instead of the microwave so they can thicken properly
If you heat up the soup in a saucepan, pour it back into the original container to serve it – one less dish to wash
Favorite Meals: Kabocha Congee, Carrot Lentil Curry, Red Bell Pepper Bisque, Mushroom with Steel Cut Oats
Summary: I don’t think I would do this program in the summer and I wish their smoothies were better(supposedly they are working to improve them) but I enjoy getting the soups in the fall/winter months.
You can read my reviews of other meal delivery programs at the following links:
